DEF LEPPARD Singer Says Re-Recording 'Sugar', "Rock Of Ages' Was 'A Sensible Business Decision'

June 19, 2012

MTV Hive recently conducted an interview with DEF LEPPARD singer Joe Elliott. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

MTV Hive: You recently re-recorded "Rock Of Ages" and "Pour Some Sugar On Me". Did you not get it right the first time?

Elliott: It was, well, let's just say a sensible business decision on our part. How can I put this politely? We were having a major disagreement with our ex-record label about the digital rights for our back catalog. We couldn't come to a mutual understanding that seemed fair for both sides. So we finally just decided to re-record all our hits. We started with "Sugar" and "Rock Of Ages", and I think we did a pretty good job. It's hard work trying to recreate something you did 30 years ago.

MTV Hive: But you can't recreate that '80s magic exactly, can you?

Elliott: We tried to do it as closely as we could. We got the same sounds, the same key, the same tempo. It was a 100% forgery. That was the idea, anyway. It's not like a live version, where everything's a bit looser and you've got the ad-libs and the slightly longer guitar solos and the crowd screaming in the background. We were very conscious of the fact that when people download our songs from iTunes, they want it to sound like they remember it.

MTV Hive: You don't think of yourself as heavy metal?

Elliott: I don't. Talk to Glenn Tipton from JUDAS PRIEST or Scott Ian from ANTHRAX and ask them if DEF LEPPARD is a heavy metal band, they'll laugh at you. And rightfully so. They'll say no, they're a good rock band, but they're not heavy metal.

MTV Hive: So what are you?

Elliott: We're rock. It's a vast difference. AC/DC are metal, VAN HALEN aren't metal. And neither are they a hair band, but they've got hair. If it's the difference between being a hair band and a bald band, yes, we're a hair band. But musically, we're a British rock band, end of story.

MTV Hive: What's the formula for a memorable rock 'n' roll anthem? Walk us through it.

Elliott: Most people would say you have to avoid clichés at all cost. But I would say absolutely not. Embrace clichés like they're your dying breath. Look at a song like "We Are the Champions" by QUEEN. It's one big meaty cliché. "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" is one of the greatest songs ever written and it's a cliché, but it's a cool cliché. Don't avoid clichés, embrace the bloody things.

Read the entire interview from MTV Hive.

Find more on
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).